Patriotic socialism

This article is about the social-chauvinist tendency in the United States. For the form of patriotism under socialism, see Socialist patriotism.

Patriotic socialism

A gathering of the Center for Political Innovation, an organization associated with the patriotic socialist tendency.
Class represented	Bourgeoisie, petite bourgeoisie
Position	Social-fascist Chauvinist Social-imperialist Syncretic
Major figures	Caleb Maupin Haz al-Din Jackson Hinkle
Related tendencies	National Bolshevism Strasserism
Organizations	Party of Communists USA Center for Political Innovation American Communist Party

Patriotic socialism is a social-fascist tendency largely present in the United States which incorporates reactionary American nationalism and chauvinism into nominally socialist theory. The trend is primarily derived from the fascistic LaRouche movement with additional influence from the ideas of various opportunist and reactionary figures, ranging from Earl Browder to Deng Xiaoping. Patriotic socialists subscribe to opportunist and chauvinist stances and often align themselves with openly reactionary movements. Other sections of patriotic socialists, most notably "MAGA Communists", explicitly adopt neo-fascist, alt-right, White supremacist, and anti-intellectual stances.

Patriotic socialism is most prevalent on the internet, but is represented by certain fringe organizations, such as the Party of Communists USA, Center for Political Innovation, and American Communist Party.

History

Development

Patriotic socialism originated as a distinct tendency in the early 2020s when a small grouping of opportunist and careerist online personalities began to associate themselves with the label, the most notable being Caleb Maupin, who declared himself a patriotic socialist by late 2021 and orientated his organization, the Center for Political Organization, around that line. Many of those who became patriotic socialists were originally adherents of other revisionist tendencies such as Dengism.

Another opportunist figure, Haz al-Din and his show Infrared, would emerge around this time and espouse similarly chauvinistic positions. Over time, Haz would develop a sizable online clique and personality cult around himself through his political debates and other content. In August 2022, Caleb Maupin was exposed by members of the CPI for sexual abuse, exploitation, and otherwise cult-like practices. This would result in the CPI temporarily disbanding until November of that year, when Maupin resurfaced with a slanderous condemnation of his victims.

"MAGA Communism"

At around the same time in late 2022, Infrared and another media personality, Jackson Hinkle, began to promote so-called "MAGA Communism"; a particularly fascistic strand of the wider patriotic socialist movement which calls for an alliance between "communists" and the reactionary Trumpist movement.

"MAGA Communism" would quickly be adopted by various followers of Infrared on social media, gaining some amount of infamy (albeit little actual support) on platforms such as Twitter due to its propagandists' usage of harassment, impersonation, and otherwise inflammatory content. Among the actions of the "MAGA Communist" clique was to promote the "infiltration" of the Communist Party USA. This had little effect outside of internet spaces and largely only manifested itself in the creation of impersonator accounts on Twitter posing as CPUSA chapters.

Later events

By late 2024, the patriotic socialist movement had stagnated, either due to many of its adherents becoming virtually indistinguishable from other members of the American right or the abusive tendencies of its leaders.

Beginning in August 2024, Maupin openly distanced (and eventually discarded entirely) himself and the CPI from Marxism and communism altogether. Instead, Maupin has used the term "innovationism" to refer to his reactionary tendency. Soon after, he embraced the fascistic movement of Donald Trump after his victory in the 2024 election, claiming that he will "[stand] up for our freedoms against the FBI and deep state, refuses to play ball with Wall Street’s war schemes, and [will work] to make the US economy strong again."

In 2024, Haz al-Din, Jackson Hinkle, and other patriotic socialist figures formed the "American Communist Party". This organization, however, was quickly revealed to be a cult centered around Haz, committing abuses and other excesses.

Ideology

National chauvinism

Patriotic socialists engage themselves in chauvinistic and bourgeois nationalist tendencies and propaganda. Patriotic socialists make regular references to the slave-holding "Founding Fathers" of the United States and other national patriotic myths while caring little for the settler-colonial nature of the US' conception, and continue to oppose the liberation movements of oppressed nationalities in the US.

Class collaboration

Patriotic socialists largely reject the need for the abolition of private property — a foundational tenet of communism — and uphold class collaboration with the bourgeoisie. Patriotic socialists, inspired from the example of modern China, believe that collaboration with the petite and large bourgeoisie is needed develop the "productive forces" to attain what they regard as socialism, with little concern for the capitalists' expropriation or class struggle. Patriotic socialists will only voice opposition to certain elements of the bourgeoisie, often known to them as "globalists", a trend common in other fascistic movements.

Social-imperialism

A tendency shared with other deviationists, patriotic socialists endorse and defend imperialist and social-imperialist states which oppose the West, namely the modern Russian Federation and People's Republic of China. Patriotic socialists reject the notion of world communism in favor of the fascistic theory of "multipolarity", believing that the Chinese and Russian capitalists' aims are progressive.

Communist stance on patriotism

Revolutionary communists generally support patriotism in the context of imperialized and dependent countries, but oppose it when used in imperialist countries. Patriotism in the imperialist world merely aids the bourgeoisie of that country. As Vladimir Lenin said:

"Combining contradictory tasks—patriotism and socialism—was the fatal mistake of the French socialists. In the Manifesto of the International, issued in September 1870, Marx had warned the French proletariat against being misled by a false national idea ..."
— V.I. Lenin on the mistakes of the Paris Commune
Lessons of the Commune (March 1908)

Further reading

• American “Patriotic Socialism” — A Reactionary Deviation, by Saula Wenger

See also

• National Bolshevism
• Welfare chauvinism
• Strasserism
• Fascism
• National socialism
• Labor Zionism
• LaRouche movement